Linguistic DNA - Concept Modelling Demonstrator

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
rest_n	command_v	day_n	sabbath_n	5,401	5	10.0465	5	true

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A07200	Christian humiliation, or, A treatise of fasting declaring the nature, kindes, ends, vses, and properties of a religious fast: together with a briefe discourse concerning the fast of Lent. By Henry Mason, pastor of Saint Andrews-Vndershaft London.	Mason, Henry, 1573?-1647.	1625 (1625)	STC 17602; ESTC S120999	101,549	174

in these good workes the doing of which is a dutie toward man but that true and sound Religion is necessarily and by consequence ioyned with these workes And so when God saith that the Fast which he requireth is to loose bands of wickednes c. and to deale bread to the hungry c. Hee meaneth not that a true Fast doth essentially and formally consist in these workes but that it is euer ioyned with them And the good workes which God requireth to accompany a religious Fast are of two sorts some are workes of iustice which are to loose the bands of wickednesse to vndoe the heauie burdens c. that is to surcease and leaue off their oppressing and wronging of their brethren And some againe are workes of mercy which are to deale ones bread to the hungry to cloathe the naked c. By all which it doth appeare that God maketh no account of fasting if it be not ioyned with charity toward the poore and iust dealing towards all men The ancient Fathers agreeably to Scriptures are eloquent and plentifull in this argument Saint Ambrose a Illi qui ieiunant Ã cibo non se abstinent Ã malo similes sunt diabolo qui non manducat tamen Ã malo non cessat Ambros Serm. 43. p. 61. Hee that fasteth from meat and abstaineth not from sinne is like the Deuill who doth not eat and yet ceaseth not from sinne And againe the same Father b Qui abstinemus prandia nostra pauperibus praerogemus Sie tu pro delictia tuis ieiunus Dominum roges ille pro te satiatus exoret vtrumque tibi proficiens tua fames saturitas mendicorum Serm. 41. pag. 59. Wee that fast saith he let vs giue our dinners to the poore So thou fasting shalt aske God pardon for thy sinnes and hee beeing filled shall obtaine it for thee and both of them shall be for thy good both thy fasting and the poore mans eating To the same purpose speaketh Saint Augustin c Tum gratae sunt Deo nostrae ieiunia si illi qui necessitate ieiunant reficiantur Ã nobis August de Temp. Ser. 64. pag. 231. G. Then are our fasts accepted with God saith hee if they which fast because they want meat be relieued by vs. And againe the same Father and in the same Sermon d Dum Ã licitit abstinemus magis ac magis admonemur illicita vitare Qui enim abstinemus nos Ã carnibus quibus alijs diebus vti licet c. imprimis peccata fugiamas quae omninÃ² nunquaÌ„ licent Itaque si volumus bene ieiunare Ã cibis ante omnia ieiunemus Ã vitijs Augustin de Temp. Serm. 64. Dominic 1. Quadrages p. 231. E. While wee abstaine from lawfull things wee are admonished more and more to eschew vnlanifull things For wee that abstaine from flesh which at other times wee may vse ought especially to auoyd sinnes which may neuer be vsed And therefore if woe will fast rightly from meat wee must aboue all fast from sinne But Saint Basil most fully and fitly to this purpose e Caue ne ieinnij vtilitatem sola escarum abstinentia metiaris Verum enim ieiunium est ab omnibus vitijs esse alienum c. Bafil de Ieiunio Homil. 1. pag. 331. Doe not place saith he the good of fasting in the abstinence of meat for true fasting consisteth in abstayning from sinne For eatest thou not flesh but thou deuourest thy brother Forbearest thou to drinke wine but thou forbearest not to offer wrong to thy brother And thou stayest till night before thou breake thy fast but thou spendest all the day in Law-suites and quarrelling And doest thou think to please God with such a godlesse fast No no Woe to them that are drunke and not with wine And who be they They are all such saith he as are ouercome and haled away with vnruly lusts of sinne as of anger and enuy and reuenge and ambition and carnall pleasures For all such vnmortified lusts are as so many kindes of drunkennesse For hee that is led and possessed with these hee is not his owne man hee cannot see and discerne the way of reason much lesse of religion no more than a drunken man can find his way in the street And if a man doe abstaine from wine and yet be drunke with these vices or if a man forbeare the flesh of beasts and feed on the bloud of his brother this is no truer a fast in Gods sight than if he should abstaine from a weaker wine and ouerwhelme himselfe with a stronger or should fast from swines flesh and glut himselfe with Partridge and Pheasant The summe of all is A true Fast cannot be separated from an holy life IIII. Fourthly it is required that the soule doe consider of and put in practice such holy duties as a Fast doth by the outward behauiour make profession of Some doe require that euery Fasting-day bee kept as an Holy-day without doing of any worldly worke and with performing of such religious workes as belong to a Sabbath day And their reason for this is because God doth command the Iewes that on their day of expiation in which they were to afflict themselues with fasting they should doe no worke but that they should keepe it for a Sabbath of rest But this I take to be an errour at least I dare not charge it as a necessary duety in any mans conscience because I know no reason to enforce it For to mine vnderstanding the onely place of Scripture which seemeth to incline this way and vpon which they onely rest doth make nothing for it at all The place is in the sixteenth of Leuiticus but especially in the three and twentieth of the same Booke where the same words are repeated and the poynt more fully declared And therefore I will set downe the words there recorded that the Christian Reader may the better consider of the meaning and the more clearely see what to iudge of the reason The words then are these (a) Leuitic 23 27 28 29 30 31 32. On the tenth day of this moneth there shall be a day of Atonement it shall be an holy conuocation vnto you and yee shall afflict your soules and offer an offering made by fire vnto the Lord. And yee shall doe no worke in that same day for it is a day of Atonement to make an atonement for you before the Lord your God c. For better conceiuing of this Text we must note first that the summe and intention of this Chapter is to set downe the Feasts and the Holy-dayes of the Iewes which are heere reckoned vp to be the weekely Sabbath the Passeouer the Offering of the first fruits Pentecost the Feast of the Trumpets the day of Expiation and the feast of Tabernacles And concerning these it is said by way of preface in the beginning (b) Vers 2. Say vnto the children of Israel Concerning the

feasts of the Lord which yee shall proclaime to be holy Conuocations Euen these are my Feasts And after the enumeration of them it is said (a) Vers 37. These are the Feasts of the Lord which hee shall proclaime to be holy Conuocations to offer an offering made by fire vnto the Lord c. And in the end of the Chapter after all it is added And Moses declared vnto the children of Israel the Feasts of the Lord. And from hence it may be gathered that this day of expiation which is placed among these holy-dayes is intended as a festiual day rather than as a fasting day And therfore the fast or humiliation heere commanded is an appurtenance of the feast and a seruice required on that holy day this day was appointed to be kept for an holy day not because it was a fasting day Secondly wee may note in the description of this day that the chiefe thing for which this day was intended was for expiation and atonement Thirdly that the meanes by which this might be wrought and the things which God requireth for the celebration of this day were an holy rest a publique meeting an affliction of the soule and an offering made by fire And hence we may gather that an holy day and a fasting day are here ioyned as two things both of which respect one end And therefore it followeth not The people are here commanded to keepe an holy rest vpon this fasting day and therefore it is necessary that euery fasting day should be kept holy no more than this argument would follow from the same place Here the people are commanded to keepe this holy day with fasting and humiliation and therfore euery holy day must be a fasting day Fourthly We may note that the reason why God appoynted this day to be kept holy is said in the Text to bee this because it is a day of atonement for them before the Lord but it is not said that it was to be kept holy because it was a fasting day And hence I may conclude that the Text doth giue no warrant that euery fasting day must bee kept holy day Now let the Reader lay these notes and collections from the Text together and compare them with the reason brought to proue the contrary and hee will easily see how weake the argument is For the onely reason that euer I read or heard of from this Text for proofe of this conclusion is this God heere commanded this fasting day to be kept holy and therefore euery fasting day must be so kept Which being nothing but an inference of an vniuersall from a singular doth hereby appeare to bee weake and friuolous besides the reasons now alledged from the Text to the contrary And now after all seeing that this is the onely place on which this former conclusion is grounded and it hath so little reason in it as hath beene shewed it remayneth that to say euery fasting day of necessitie must bee an holy day is an errour without all ground of probability The thing then that I meane when I say that it is required that on the day of our fast the soule should practise such duties as a Fasting-day by the outward behauiour doth include is that as by fasting wee professe our sorrow for sinne with a purpose to serue God better and doe abstaine from fleshly comforts that wee may more freely enioy the comforts of the Spirit so a Christian should vse serious meditation and consideration of things requisite for this purpose As for example hee should examine his conscience search out the state of his soule settle in himselfe a purpose of amendment confesse his sinnes that make him vnworthy to taste any of Gods creatures and pray for grace to liue better And that these and such like holy thoughts and desires are requisite vpon our fasting dayes I am induced to thinke partly because in publique Fasts (a) Iudg. 20.26 2 Chron. 20.3 4. Ezrah 8.23 Ier. 36.6 9 10. Dan. 9.3 Ioel 1.14 v. Kemnit Exam. part 4. de causa finali ieiun nu 47. pag. 94. Serar in Iudith 8. q. 7. pag. 320. the Church hath beene accustomed to spend part of the day in publique meetings and in religious exercises and partly because that outward abstinence cannot of it selfe worke those gracious effects whereof I haue spoke before vnlesse the soule by consideration holy thoughts doe apply make vse of his outward humiliation to this purpose For fasting is not like physicke which worketh while a man sleepeth but then only affecteth the soule and pleaseth God when the heart maketh vse of it A plaine proofe whereof may be this Fasting hath this speciall vse among others that as the chastisements which GOD doth inflict vpon vs doe serue to humble vs and bring vs home by repentance so these chastisements voluntarily imposed vpon our selues may serue for like purpose as hath beene fully declared already But no outward chastisement whether of Gods inflicting or our owne can worke this effect vnlesse the man doe lay them to his heart and apply them to himselfe Hence it is that the Prophet complayneth of the people of Israel in this manner (a) Hos 7.9 Strangers haue deuoured his strength and hee knoweth it not yea gray haires are here and there vpon him yet he knoweth not In which words we may note two things first the corrections that were layd vpon them and they were that the Enemies had wasted and consumed them and these and other miseries had brought gray haires vpon them and made them old before the time Secondly the want of feeling in the people They know it not and againe Yet they know not saith the Text. But what Consumed by the Enemy and not know that they were strucken pined and become old with sorrow and not feele their misery No that is not the meaning they felt their misery no doubt But the Prophet meaneth that they did not take notice nor thinke and consider that it was Gods hand that inflicted this iudgement and their own sinnes that deserued it and therefore they were neuer the better for all this chastisement And therefore another Prophet complayning to like purpose saith (b) Isal 42.25 God powred vpon Israel the fury of his anger and the strength of battell and it hath set him on fire round about yet hee knew not and it burned him yet hee laid it not to heart Which words imply that no plagues moue men to repentance if they doe not lay them to heart and consider of the causes and the conditions and euents of such things And as Gods chastisements for want of laying them to heart are without their fruit for which they are intended so wee may not expect that our owne chastisements should proue better No for we see that (a) Gen. 25. Esau fasted and his hunger made him sell away his birth-right and (b) Matt. 6. the Pharises fasted and their fasts made them swell with pride

prayers night and day In which sentence wee may consider two things for this purpose first that this holy woman made a dayly practice of fasting shee serued God in this manner night and day which sheweth that she fasted ordinarily and for an ordinary exercise of deuotion Secondly That by this kinde of fasting she serued God And if shee serued God by her fasting we need not feare lest wee dishonour him by the like practice Reason second from the vses Secondly That ordinary fasts are lawfull and vseful may be proued because ordinary fasts may and doe serue for those profitable vses for which religious fasts were ordayned For those vses are to testifie and helpe forward our humiliation and repentance to sharpen and whet on our attention in holy dueties and to subdue and tame the vnruly pride of the flesh and such like the respect whereof is the onely thing that maketh fasting so much commended to vs in the Scriptures But all these holy ends and vses may be attayned or furthered no lesse by ordinary than by extraordinary fasts For not onely our fastings when wee keepe them for some speciall and extraordinary occasion but euen those also which wee vse in an ordinary and vsuall course of Christianity may tame the flesh by subtracting its food may eleuate the minde towards God by estranging it from the sence of worldly things and may both shew and beget our humiliation and sorrow by chastening the body for the sinnes of our soules as is apparent in common reason nor is it needlesse in an ordinary course of life to vse such eyther helpes or signes of humiliation deuotion and mortification For our infirmities in all these kindes are many and great and had need of helpe euery day and our sinnes and transgressions happen dayly nay hourely and doe require euery day humiliation and sorrow and hence it followeth that this ordinary course of fasting vpon the common and vsuall occasions of our life are neither needlesse nor fruitlesse Thus in conclusion it appeareth that all religious Fasts be they priuate or publike and whether for ordinary or extraordinary occasions haue allowance from God and are of good vse in the life of a Christian CHAP. III. What holy vse there is of Fasting and how it may further vs for holy duties and workes of GODS seruice THese religious Fasts as they haue good proofe from Gods Word so they haue great vse in the life of a Christian More particularly and especially they may serue for these vses I. They may serue as outward acts to declare our reuerence toward God and his sacred ordinances For as at all times wee should vse reuerence toward God in our hearts which is nothing else but an acknowledging of his excellencie for which hee is to bee hououred so it is very requisite that when wee come into his presence or haue any more then ordinary entercourse with him wee should by some fitting behauiour declare it For which purpose (a) Exod. 3.5 God commanded Moses and the (b) Iosh 5.15 Angell commanded Ioshua Put off thy shooes from off thy feet for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground The meaning of which ceremonie was for this end that thereby they might shewe reuerence in the place where God did manifest his presence And the like vse there may be of fasting also and that in two respects 1. Because we doe by such demeanour humble our selues before the Diuine Maiestie as vnworthy not only to enioy his presence but to make vse of any of his creatures Which is a testimony as of our owne basenesse so of Gods excellencie and greatnesse 2. We may by our abstinence shew reuerence to God because by forbearing our meate when wee are about his workes we declare that we preferre his seruice before the seruing of our owne turnes as deeming it most iust that his seruice should haue the first place in all our thoughts This vse of fasting (c) Hooker Eccles polit l. 5. nu 72. pa. 207. some thinke it is not vnlikely that the Iewes made in fasting on holy dayes till the publike Seruice was ended and that their complaint against Christs Disciples (d) Luke 6.1 2. for rubbing the eares of corne on the Sabbath day doth imply so much For their meaning was say they to finde fault with them meaning was say they to finde fault with them for breaking not the rest but the fast of the Sabbath e Hebraeorum illa fuit Ã maioribus tradita vsu recipta ac tanquam lege probata consuetudo vt von siceret diebus festis cuiquaÌ„ ante sextaÌ„ boraÌ„ prandere Baron toÌ„ 1. ann 34. nu 243. pag. 250. which by their custome was to be obserued till dinner time or after the Diuine Seruice And for this interpretation there may bee giuen this reason that the rubbing of corne for staying of hunger was so small a worke that in reason it cannot be thought to offend any no not a Pharisee it beeing lesse labour then euery man doth vse at his ordinary meale on the Sabbath day For the furnishing of the Table the dishing out of the meate the drawing of drinke and caruing that which is necessary for euery mans vse which no Pharisee would reproue on the Sabbath day will require as much both time labour as that which the Disciples here did bestow But let this goe for a coniecture as I will not vrge it for any point of faith thus much is certaine that the Christian Church hath still bin accustomed to forbeare all foode when they were to receiue the holy Communion till the whole worke and seruice of God were ended whereof (f) Aug. Epist 118. c. 6. pag. 191. B. Saint Augustine and (g) Isidor de Offic. l. 1. ca 8. others after him doe giue vs this reason vt in honorem tanti Sacramenti in os Christiani priÃ¹s Dominicum corpus intraret quÃ m caeteri cibi that for the honour of that great Sacrament our Lords bodie should first be receiued before all other foode And so we may say that it is for reuerence to GOD and for the honour of his Ordinance if wee first performe those holy dueties before wee partake our necessary food And sure it was respect vnto his Master that made Abrahams seruant say (h) Genes 24.33 I will not eate till I haue told mine errand And respect it was to his heauenly Father that made our Sauiour to (i) Ioh. 4.34 refuse his owne meate till he had done his Fathers will and finished his Worke. And so it was respect vnto God that (k) 1 Sam. 16.11 Samuel would not sit downe till Dauid was sent for that hee might anoynt him as God had appoynted For otherwise the seruices which they did doe before meat might for any thing that doth appeare by the text haue bin as conueniently performed after it And so we shall declare our respect to God and reuerence to his holy

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